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He told BBC Wales : "We've gained overall control of Monmouth, made huge strides in the Vale of Glamorgan, doubled our representation in Wrexham, and reached double digits right in the backyard of the first minister [in Bridgend]."

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First Minister Carwyn Jones made no mention of Jeremy Corbyn in his address to the party following the election.

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He said: “People realise that only Welsh Labour will stand up for Wales and we thank them once again for that trust. Despite defying the doom-mongers in places like Cardiff and Flintshire, there is no question it was a mixed night for us, and as the true party of Wales we are always more stretched than our opponents.

“We faced strong challenges from all parties, and independents, right across the country. For those who lost their seats, they need to know that they have not campaigned in vain, the battle goes on and we thank them for the incredible service they have given to Welsh Labour and their communities."

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For the Lib Dems there was little to celebrate, with the party surprisingly losing ground in Cardiff central and making no gains at all across Wales.

Plaid Cymru only has control in Gwynedd, although it is likely to be the senior partner in a coalition with independent councillors in Carmarthenshire.

But party leader Leanne Wood said Plaid had made new ground.

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he said: “Plaid Cymru has won 202 seats across Wales, just four short of our best ever result.

“Where we have run councils we’ve made gains whilst in other areas like Ynys Mon we have had our best ever results.

“We are now the biggest party in Rhondda and we’ve made significant gains from the Labour Party in their own strongholds such as Neath, Aberavon and Blaenau Gwent.

“It’s particularly pleasing that, in an election dominated by Westminster personalities, Plaid Cymru has bucked the trend and seen off the Tory surge, strengthening our position as the second biggest party in Wales.

“Across Wales there will be more Plaid Cymru councillors defending their communities and standing up to the Tories.

“The story in Wales is Plaid Cymru and Tory gains versus Labour and UKIP losses. Only Plaid Cymru is fit to defend our communities and defend our country from the Tories in Westminster.”

In Merthyr Tydfil, former council leader Brendan Toomey lost his seat as independent candidates won success against Labour.

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The final result in Merthyr will not be known until June after the death of a candidate in the Cyfarthfa ward meaning the balance of power is yet to be decided.

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However, Mr Toomey said the result sent a signal about the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who has presided over a difficult set of elections for his party ahead of the General Election in June.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell insisted that Labour's vote "held up" in areas of Wales where Jeremy Corbyn had campaigned, and said there were signs that voters were developing more confidence in the party leader as he had the chance to get his message across. He repeated Labour's challenge to Mrs May to take part in TV debates, contrasting Labour's "open, engaging" campaign with the "robotic" appearances by the Prime Minister.